Urban Diner II

Good basic comfort food.
Best way to start. Had the Shepherds Pie. Hot. All the way through. NOT a disappointment. Quite tasty. Could have used a roll or something. Seemed to be missing something but it was good.
The Mrs had the soup and sandwich. A Monte Cristo with Chicken Soup. Thumbs up for both. Sandwich was huge! Half for lunch tomorrow!
Menu is a bit limited but it is all comfort food,
Pretty straightforward. Will have to come back and try a few more things. Brunch menu was simple but looked good.
Very clean, everywhere, pleasant service. Worth a try for good basic food!

Pleased. $ 60 for 3 including a decadent dessert.
Dropped in for a late lunch with the kids in tow. Really liked the décor.
Enjoyed their house recipe iced tea.
I decided on the meatloaf sandwich with an upgraded side of chili poutine. Delicious. A well put together dish.
Children both had selections from the kids menu. Really impressed with the quality and construction of both. Macaroni was obviously homemade, and fresh. Added sausage for a nice touch. Heck… I helped finish this one… and could have had more!
Grilled cheese was also great.
We all shared a big old piece of chocolate cake (alas the only dessert not made onhouse). Pricey at $ 9 for a slice… but worked out well portion wise when split 3 ways.
Not in a rush to revisit… but certainly worth another round.

We’ve been here about 3 times now. The first time the service was so horrible that it was almost shocking, but since the food was good we came back for Brunch. No complaints about the Brunch or the service. But this last time we went was almost as bad as the first time. We got the same server as the first time, so the service was horrible. The place had 3 tables and 2 servers yet we had to wait for a while before we were even greeted. I had the Beef Dip with split pea soup. The sandwich was extremely salty and didn’t seem to have the quality. I couldn’t even eat the soup it was gross. Our server (surprise, surprise) didn’t even come to check on us or the food.
So in the end go for Brunch but avoid at all other times!

When it comes to brunch restaurants in the weekend in this area, this one is pretty much never busy which doesn’t mean that it’s outstanding, but it does suit the bill if the other places are too busy. With relatively standard fare, it’s not a good venue for a vegan person to eat a good variety of food, but otherwise it’s a pretty decent venue whether for lunch dinner or brunch, especially if the other local options aren’t available. It is probably busiest for lunch or dinner.
It is reasonably transit accessible and there’s ample parking. The menu is comfort food which isn’t outstanding, but isn’t bad either and the portion sizes are generally pretty wonderful and filling. One of two Urban Diner locations in Edmonton, this one is good and spacious with bright décor and good staff.

Had brunch here for the first time and I had a pretty devastating experience.
It was pretty busy when we were there so the whole staff could have been rushed, but if you’re going to offer brunch then you better have your shit together. My major issue with our service was that we were not checked up on after our food arrived. That would have alleviated everything.
The server would have known that she forgot our hot sauce, she would have an opportunity to top up our coffees ($ 2.85 for one cup of coffee during brunch service is ludicrous), she would have known that there was egg shells in my eggs. Instead we were checked on when we were ready to pay and get out of there. I told her about the egg shells and she told the manager who came over and apologized which is great but I was still charged full price for the breakfast even though I could only eat half of my eggs. He offered to make me another one, but again, we are ready to leave at this point — it’s way too late to offer me that.
I’m going to chalk this up to untrained servers (checking on the guests after the food arrives is probably the most important thing you can miss as a server) and to owners who don’t allot their managers enough promo to cover up for a kitchen snafu when the guest is unhappy with the food.
I won’t be back.

I’ve only been here twice. First time I tried some of their hamburger mac and cheese and it was pretty decent. Second time, I went on a Sunday (they only have a brunch menu) and got a ‘Huevos Wrap’ which is scrambled eggs with veg. chili and other stuff. Most stuff on the brunch menu is about $ 12. The wrap is pretty big, so you’ll either be full or satisfied.
Also, if you want to go on a Sunday. they close at 3! :/

Nothing special, nothing disappointing.
We had a couple sandwiches for lunch — my wife had the Clubhouse and I had the Monte Cristo.
The Monte Cristo was decent, but the usual plum sauce was nowhere to be found — I even asked — it was served with some berry preserves and sour cream!
My wife’s Clubhouse would have been better termed «every day is thanksgiving» — it was turkey and had cranberries on it.
We will probably come back, as we work on campus, but it likely won’t be until after we’ve been to the other diners and food establishments in the area.

I met a group of friends here for breakfast. Slow service, over priced food and when you did get the food, it was NOT anything worth the price! I left kind of annoyed because the atmosphere is great, feels like something you’d find in the Rockies, but the attitude of the staff is just awful. Sorry to say, but I won’t be giving it a second chance.

Our waitress was terrible. When we asked what kind of beers they had she told us that we had probably not heard of any of them and to go over and take a look at the cooler. After our initial wtf moment we got a beer menu from another server, but not before we had noticed ants coming out of a napkin dispenser in the middle of our table.
After debating about staying all 11 of us placed our orders. The food was delivered quickly but not without an error on a friends dish. The waitress told us about the error but did not make any effort to correct it.
The food was ok but nothing special. I don’t think I’ll be going back.

Every time I walk into this place, I feel like «this is it», this is the time where they will actually amaze me, but it’s just not happening.
The diner has a great location and amazing interior, you really feel like you’ve walked into a hidden gem in the city. Also, they always have special drinks like beer and organic soda.
The staff were a bit (very) slow to even notice us, it took them 10 minutes to say hi and give us a menu after we were seated, but they were nice afterwards.
All in all, their food is average, but the menu is a typical diner menu with a wide variety of choices. 3 stars is exactly what this place is.

I ate there April ¹⁴⁄₁₄ at around between 1 pm and 2 pm. I was thankful that the host at the door reminded me to register my vehicle for the free parking. Free parking is at rear of restaurant.
Restaurant was about ¼ full. Not a good sign.
My table was wobbly. Table service was courteous and brisk. Server did a frequent drive-​by to check on me.
I ordered the half veg chilli… Mediocre… It tasted like canned beans dumped into canned tomato sauce and given a stir with a sprinkle of cheese. I could barely taste any chili spice. Ho-​hum.
Also ordered the half Greek salad… Again, mediocre… It had chunks of green pepper and chunks of Greek cheese and chunks of cucumber. Dressing tasted like it came from a bottle. Ho-​hum.
I tried the fries with poutine. The server didn’t know if they were fresh or frozen fries but came back to table to say there were fresh. They were OK. Warm gravy with cheese on julieneed fries. A couple of fries had green spots. Better poutine at a take-​out across the street.
Coffee was the regular tasteless variety used in most budget restaurants. Spent about $ 25.00 on lunch and left gastronomically unsatisfied.
Overall, others might be happy here, but I would not go back again.

The food should have been cheaper for the quality. The server we got was a pretentious hipster. He started off by making fun of the fact we had lattes in our hands, then talked very sarcastically for the rest of the meal. As well as never came to our table.

Gave Urban Diner II a second chance and round two didn’t really change my mind. The service was much better. It was not busy at all when we arrived, just 1 – 2 other tables on a Thursday just after 5 pm.
I had the pulled pork sandwich. To me, it just tasted like shredded pork covered in a bland ketchup. I’ve had a few pulled pork sandwiches lately as they seem to be pretty trendy and this is the only one I didn’t enjoy. In hindsight, getting pulled pork at a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in BBQ was probably a bad idea. So of my two experiences, the food was poor both times. The service was fairly good on one visit and poor the other visit.
With so many other good food choices in the vicinity, I can’t see myself going back.

I sent a copy of my previous review to Urban Diner via their website. The owner contacted me and we talked on the phone about my experience there. She offered me a gift certificate to come back and give them another chance.
We went for dinner last night. The host was different this time, and he was much better. He made sure we registered our car (for the free parking) and seated us right away. Our waitress was pretty nice and chatty. She took our orders right away and our food came pretty quickly. So, the service was significantly better this time around. She was, howeer, super obvious about the upselling. «Do you want gravy? Extra dip? Add bacon or cheese to your burger?» and asked if we wanted dessert even after I didn’t finish half of my meal.
However, the food still isn’t great. We shared a diner salad to start ($ 9). It was alright, but it was pretty average and not special. Not something I would want to pay for in a restaurant. Very basic that anyone could make at home. I had the bison burger with fries. It was good. Not bad, not great. Good. My husband didn’t really like what he had but he will write his own review.
I didn’t finish my burger, and still had about half of my fries left. I asked for them to be packed up. She brought me a really small box back. After a couple of minutes I looked in it and only the burger was in there. I have no idea why they would throw the fries away. There were so many left. I didn’t think I had to specify that I wanted my entire meal packed up, not just half of it. I would be pissed off if I had paid for it (rather than a GC) because that is just plain waste. I’m not sure why they’d throw it away because it’s a waste of money for them, too! I didn’t bother saying anything to the waitress because they obviously tossed them right away, so it’s not like anything could be done about it.
Sorry Urban Diner II, I gave you a second chance and I still wasn’t impressed.

If down home diner/​comfort food is what you are after, well this place will not disappoint. The deep-​fried chicken is crispy. The Monte Carlo is a monster of a sandwich. The eggs are diner style decent. I adore the lox & smear on a proper bagel. They have a poutine with hamburger helper on, which kind of seems wrong to me, but I did not try it so can’t actually comment. But the pies are home made and made with love.
The staff is wonderful and always willing to steer you in the right menu direction. They defiantly have a prime location, right in the heart of Garneau. There is free parking, with numerous stalls, which is a rare thing in that neck of the woods.
The Urban deuce probably deserves to be 3 and half stars, but I just don’t think it is a 4 star. It is always good, filling and full of carbs!

I tumbled in here somewhat by accident.
I needed a place to park near the Garneau theatre, and there happens to be a funky dirt parking lot out back. It’s free when you’re in the restaurant, but then after, you pay three bucks at a funny little auto-​meter ticket giving machine. (Do they check? Maybe if I sneak out the back of the restaurant.. .)
Anyhoo — the service was friendly and super quick (because.. . I was the only one in there at 4pm.. .)the food was fine. I had a bowl of OK soup of the day and 2 eggs over easy (super pale yolks) with maple/​sage sausage. For those who are used to stateside breakfast links; these 2 sausages were the size of 5 or 6 of those. They were tasty — on the dry side, and very meaty.
The coffee was bleah, but somewhere around pretty OK on the re-​calibrated diner scale. It came with 8 little 10% cream single serving cups.
For all my single serving friends.
I’d come again if I was in the area and needed a quick bite. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to go again.

I came here once when it first opened and was slightly underwhelmed. It seems things have changed though, because my party and I were very happy with our meals when we went last month.
I had the beef brisket sandwich, and the other two members of my party ordered the salmon burger and the grilled chicken burger. My sandwich was huge, and very satisfying. The brisket was really tender, and the sauerkraut added a nice acidic touch. The salmon burger featured a large piece of salmon and a refreshing mango slaw that paired perfectly, and the grilled chicken burger was similarly delicious.
My favourite part of Urban Diner, however, is the Banoffee Pie. I’m really not a pie person, but this homely number won me over in just a bite. I wish I could describe it, but there are no words! We have also tried the chocolate cake, but it was a bit too sweet for me. Their desserts are quite pricey, a slice of pie and one of cake put the bill at $ 17.00, but I think the pie is worth every penny.
I love how spacious the dining room is, and the fair prices — they are on par with any chain restaurant, but for significantly better food. One downside is that I feel as though I’m always waiting for the waitress to come by for some reason or another. If not for that, this would be a five star review for sure.

I’ve been to this location a few times now, including once with a big group. They were accommodating and friendly, and I will likely go back, although mostly because this is the kind of place that will satisfy the pickiest eaters of the bunch, it’s near campus, and it’s got some free parking.
I’ve never managed to figure out why some people get so excited about this place. The food isn’t bad by any means, but I just don’t find it very interesting. Everything is just OK.
The one thing they seem to have going for them is a good beer menu. The atmosphere of the place doesn’t make me want to hang out drinking beer for the evening, but if you’re looking for a tasty pint to go with your mediocre entrée, you’re set.

Hey, I’m a fan. It’s pretty much the great urban comfort food menu from the High Street location served up in Garneau, in walking distance from my building.
Yeah, they need to do some more renovations and decorating, bring more warm and intimacy to the space, and there are some «should have had a soft opening» problems. But since when does that sort of nonsense trump the food? C’mon, this is Edmonton, not Toronto. Substance over style any time, and the food is all substance.
It’s all great diner pastries, breakfasts, sandwiches, soups, salads and «blue plate» meals. Some of my favourites are Split Pea and Ham soup (rub your tummy and salute the flag — Canadian wonder soup), Diner Mac & Cheese (with chicken apple sausage), the Meatloaf or Montecristo or Brisket sandwiches and the Diner poutine. Service is friendly, attentive and tries hard. What’s not to like?
I really fell in love with this kind of food in Manhattan, where I think the unrelenting urban crush makes comfort food all the more appealing (places like EJ’s and the Comfort Diner). So, grab a friend or two. No need to dress up, corduroy and cardigans, jeans and Ts are good enough. Worry about shaving tomorrow. Share some Mac & Cheese and Meatloaf; let it blow outside. Linger and chat over a cup of strong coffee and pie. Eat, laugh, live.

I have been a semi-​regular visitor to the original Urban Diner on 124 street. I know how busy their Saturday brunch can be. I thought it would be less crowded at the new location, since there are at least two other brunch destinations within a few blocks.
I was wrong.
The restaurant, while much larger than the first, was packed. We got there just in time before a lineup for tables started at the door. The menu has the same excellent choices as on 124 Street. Our server was very perky and attentive.
We started with a cinnamon bun which was warmed and sliced across the middle (I am assuming this was because I told our server we would be sharing). It was a little too sweet and also filled with raisins — it would have been nice if that detail was on the menu as some people, like me, are not fond of them. It was served with a cream cheese and dried fruit spread which was tasty, but added yet more sweetness. I did not have much.
Both of us had the two eggs, any style. The eggs were served with two pieces of toast and a generous portion of diner potatoes. Crispy yet moist, and including a few sweet potato cubes thrown in here and there, these are likely the best hashbrowns I have had with a brunch. My scrambled eggs were delicious, and my friend’s poached eggs were served exactly as ordered.
The main problem we found was the acoustics in the restaurant. The ceiling is very high and the sounds of people’s voices were bouncing everywhere. I literally was finding myself having to shout in order to carry on a conversation, and forget about me being able to hear anything back.
I would definitely come here again for brunch if it was less crowded. I would also come here for lunch or supper if I was in the area, because I already know that I enjoy the food. Hopefully, I won’t have to bring earplugs.